2022 Annual Report – Save the Children Australia

During 2022 we made investments in three new companies: Oho, Intellischool and Zeraki, and made a follow-on investment in Dataro. We now have seven portfolio companies and are helping each of them to grow and benefit more children.
We have approval to launch Fund II in 2023. We expect to raise an additional $25 million in new funding for investment into portfolio companies aligned to our mission.
We were recognised with industry awards: by the Australian Financial Review as one of Australia’s Most innovative Companies and in the Impact Investment Australia Awards as one of the best Impact Asset Managers, with Paul Ronalds recognised with the Individual Outstanding Achievement Award.

Vanuatu became the first country for Save the Children globally to have an approved Green Climate Fund project live and in implementation – a huge achievement.
A project in Solomon Islands was submitted in November for approval and there are 10 other projects in the global pipeline with a total value of AUD$450 million.

We worked with Save the Children Kenya and Sesame Workshop to integrate digital learning resources with the existing Kenyan national curriculum to support teachers to facilitate inclusive education. This project explored how Sesame Street Math videos can be integrated into playful learning for early childhood learners in crowded classrooms in Daddab Refugee Camp. Current results show increases in school attendance and motivation of learners, and teachers feel positive about their digital skills and classroom management techniques.
In Tonga we supported over 700 teachers to offer learning at home for over 17,000 students whose access to education was disrupted by a volcanic eruption, tsunami and COVID-19. Working alongside the Ministry of Education and Training (MET) with funding from Global Partnership for Education and in partnership with Save the Children Australia, we helped to build capacity in e-learning and digital technologies, supporting a more resilient education system with greater access to continuing educational opportunities.
We took Save the Children International’s field training program, Engaging Communities for Collective Action, online. This is a training program for Save the Children International staff to build their skills in methods for community development practice.

We delivered a new collection of books in Ukrainian language and 200 Spark Kits as part of our Educational Technology (EdTech) response to the war in Ukraine, creating a reading and learning opportunity for thousands of children displaced from formal education.
We launched the Our Yarning collection in Australia in November. It is a collection of over 150 titles (on the way to 500) written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, with orders being received for printed collections going to schools, libraries and early childhood settings around Australia.
We released new iOS and Android versions of the Library For All application, enabling a broader global reach for the free digital library and shifting us to a more modern and scalable platform for future collections.

Centre for Evidence and Implementation delivered more than 40 training events to more than 2,000 participants across the child and family services sector to shape evidence-informed practice with Victoria’s most vulnerable families. Early results indicate this has diverted 56 children from care – a 9% improvement on previous service models.
We are partnering with men’s health charity Movember to evaluate global projects funded by its AUD$10.38 million grant program, Scaling What Works, aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of boys and men.
We opened a northern European office in Oslo, Norway. CEI Nordic has already secured a funding commitment of NOK 2.3M (AUD$344,000) to support sustainable and systematic efforts to improve children’s lives.

In 2022 we made great strides towards the new horizons that a more inclusive, resilient and innovative humanitarian sector demands. Our education programs diversified from a purely academic context, and we conceived, designed and ran several training courses for humanitarian practitioners with new partners, as well as our accredited courses delivered with Deakin University, including the Diplôme d’Études Supérieures en Leadership Humanitaire (DESLH).
Supported by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Save the Children Australia, CHL developed and delivered a new program, the Crisis Leadership Program, to strengthen the leadership skills of people providing frontline assistance in the Ukraine crisis.
CHL’s largest ever cohort of 93 students began the Francophone Humanitarian Leadership course (DESLH) in September 2022. We offered DESLH Alumni free mentoring workshops, creating a pool of humanitarian mentors ready to coach the next generation of humanitarian leaders.

In 2022 we embedded the voices of children in our own decision making with the establishment and meaningful engagement with the Child Wise Youth Advisory Board. We continued to provide thought leadership in the sector with our Youth Advisory Board members providing a voice of children during the election campaign and submission to influence the Online Safety Act.
Throughout the year we completed 10,599 project hours, 126 Client Training sessions, 23 Public Training sessions and two client accreditations, ensuring that an organisation’s policies and leaders demonstrate a commitment to continuously making things safer for children and young people. Our communications and advocacy work in 2022 included 12 articles, two submissions and two radio appearances (such as Child Wise Members Grace Sholl and Arshia Rana appearing on Radio National).
After a proud history supporting child protection since 1991, 2022 marked the final full year for Child Wise as part of the Save the Children Australia Group. As of 2023 Child Wise joins forces with leading safeguarding provider the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) as part of a renewed plan to ensure its services are sustainable.

2022 Annual Report: Our impact through diverse ventures